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Statement from BBA President Carol Starkey on the President's Ban on Transgender Troops in the Military

As an association of lawyers with more than 12,000 members, the Boston Bar
Association has long stood in opposition to discrimination in all forms against
individuals and groups in our society. In that light, we are deeply concerned by
the President’s announcement yesterday that attempts to ban transgender
individuals from serving in the military alongside their fellow Americans, thus
overturning current policies and practice.

The BBA has a time-honored tradition of speaking out in support of equal
protection and policies that help to ensure equality for all Americans. We have
consistently endorsed equal rights for transgender and gender-nonconforming
people, and we applauded in 2011 when Massachusetts first added such protections
to our anti-discrimination laws, and again in 2016, when those protections were
expanded.

We believe, further, that anyone willing and able to serve our country in
uniform should be welcomed, respected, and honored. In keeping with the core
principles deeply embedded in the BBA’s mission, our profession, and our
democracy, it is essential that all individuals seeking this important
opportunity receive equal treatment under the law.

The Boston Bar Association traces its origins to meetings convened by John Adams, who provided pro bono representation to the British soldiers prosecuted for the Boston Massacre and went on to become the nation’s second president. Its mission is to advance the highest standards of excellence for the legal profession, facilitate access to justice, serve the community at large and promote diversity and inclusion.